-"I'm The Only One"-

Jude threw her clothes into her suitcase, rushed and angry, so she could get out of that house as soon as she possibly could. She tore her things out of drawers and out of her closet, stuffing as much as she could into her bag. She didn't know where she was going to go, but as long as it was far away from here, Jude knew that she'd be fine.

Later, after having packed her bags, she trashed the house. She started in their bedroom. The first thing Jude took was a picture of him and the woman he was cheating on her with. Jude knew he'd been cheating on her with another woman. He'd probably been with more women than that one, even. She picked up the picture and stared at it. Then, she ripped it up into several pieces. Afterwards, she threw the ripped pieces onto the top of his dresser. She took all of the drawers out of the dresser, throwing of his clothes all over the room, then made her way to the closet, where she tore everything down, including the rail that had once held all of his clothes. She felt proud about this. Strong, even. Finally, she was able to show him what she was capable of. It was her turn now.

Jude walked down the stairs, dragging her suitcase down behind her. She hadn't packed all of her belongings. She wouldn't be able to fit them all in her bag but to her, it didn't matter much. Her only concern was how to get out of this house right now. And without getting caught.

All of her senses, Jude noticed, suddenly became so alive and obvious. She noticed everything from the way the carpet on the stairs felt on her feet, even to the smell of the wooden railings that one of her hands were gliding over.

Time seemed to stand still suddenly, as she made her way down the stairs. It seemed to be an eternity before she actually reached the bottom. And after finally arriving at their back door, Jude felt as if she'd aged ten years. The stress striking through her body like lightning seemed to make everything worse. It made the butterflies in Jude's stomach go crazy, and made time go even slower now, than it had been only seconds before. To her, every second felt like a year, and minute by minute, she felt as if her life was growing shorter and shorter. What got to her, however, was the fact that, if he did come home to find her making her great escape, he'd literally go crazy, and Jude was afraid of what he might do. Not only to her, but himself as well.

She walked down the last step and loosened her grip on the bag so that it slid slowly down the step. She'd made it this far, and there was nothing stopping her other than the door that she now faced. It seemed so different now, and she felt so miniscule compared to everything else; as if she were only a speck in the world. Maybe that's the way it was, though. Maybe that's all she was to everybody else. Only a simple speck. Just somebody to get in the way of their so-called 'perfect' life. Was it possible that she didn't even have a place in the world? Although she was doubting herself now, deep down, Jude knew different. Her heart was on the stage, but she had no way to get there. Mike never believed in her, he simply beat her down, telling her she couldn't do it. But Jude knew better than that. She knew that she was put on this earth to sing. So that's exactly what she planned to do. Sing.

Jude turned the doorknob slowly. It was in intense few seconds, and part of her was beaming with happiness where another part of her knew that deep down she did love Mike. But did he really love her back? And although he claimed that he did, why would he hurt her so badly and so deeply? It would take a long time for those scars to heal...

She was about to open the door when she looked down at her hand, only to find her engagement ring shining back at her. The glimmer that shined on her from the reflection of the light around her, seemed to stab her right in the heart. But this guy hurt her, so why should she even feel bad at all? He obviously didn't.

That was when she once again began to doubt herself. She was a twenty-one year old, unemployed woman with a fiance. Jude felt almost as if she needed him. She didn't have a job because he had always insisted on bringing home the 'dough'. It showed her now just how much control he wanted to have over her. He wouldn't even let her work, she realized, because he wanted to control the money so Jude could never say that it was her money too. He'd had it all figured out from the beginning and finally, Jude was starting to see right through him. It had taken her a long time to do so, but she felt suddenly thankful that she now understood.

With that, Jude gently slid the ring off of her finger in the silence of the empty house. She walked back upstairs quickly and sat it on their bed. He was sure to see it there. Jude then ran back down the stairs, grabbed her bag and opened the door, only to be shocked by what she would see on the other side of it.

Jude stood in a silent shock as Mike got out of his car and walked up the driveway towards her, throwing his keys in the air and catching them as he watched her with an evil and taunting grin on his face. "Looks like you're missing something..." He said, pointing to her finger as he neared. He looked around her and noticed the bag. "And you've replaced it with something else?" He said questioningly.

Jude swung her body around to the other side of the door and closed it, locked it, then leaned against it so that she was facing the staircase. She let her body slide down to a sitting position as she listened to Mike bang on the door.

Mike backed away from the door when he heard a sob, and laughed. "Well, just so you know, Jude..." He began. "This horror movie that you think you've gotton yourself into?" He stopped only to let out a soft chuckle. "I'm not too sure you know exactly what's going on..." He paused, hoping to hear a reply. But when he didn't he simply decided to go on. Maybe he would have to scare her a little bit in order to actually get a response. "Look around...They're everywhere. Should that be the twist to the story that you seemingly think you're in? Is that really what you want?"

Jude looked up in confusion, a few tears beginning to dry on her cheeks. What was that supposed to mean? She stood up slowly, unlocked the door and opened it. It was time to face him. "What are you talking about?" Jude asked as she shook her head.

"You have no clue, do you?" He asked her, a slight chuckle under his breath following the words that he'd just spoken.

Jude simply shook her head, daring him to go on.

"I see you all the time. I know every move you make. Every person you talk to. Every time you try to do something to escape." He said.

Jude watched as an evil grin spread over his face. She knew exactly what he meant by that comment, and she didn't like it. Cameras. "You didn't..." She began, only to let her words trail off, vanishing into thin air.

Mike nodded his head. "I did."

Jude shook her head and slapped him across the face. It was the first thing on the list of ways she wanted to hurt him back, but Mike caught her hand, squeezing her wrist tightly. "You wanna try that again?" He asked dangerously.

Jude once again, shook her head, this time totally breaking down and now, tears were streaming down her cheeks, forming little tiny rivers down her face. "Is this what you want?" She screamed at him between sobs. "Is this how you want to live?"

"No." He replied calmly. "And if you would just listen to me," He began, squeezing her wrist even harder as he said the word 'listen'. "Then, neither of us would have to live like this."

Jude backed away, ripping her wrist from him. She looked at him in confusion and disgust. "I'm not a child." She said quietly.

"Then stop ACTING LIKE ONE!" He yelled back at her, his voice becoming increasingly loud when he said his last three words.

Jumping back slightly in hurt and fear, Jude tripped over the mat at their door. She looked up at him in pain.

Mike slammed the door, struck her face twice with his fist, looked at her for a moment, then turned, opened the door and walked out.

Jude laid back down farther on the floor, exhasted from trying to fight back against him. She sobbed for a few moments when she realized that she can't just expect him to stop. She has to actually do something to stop him.

She'd had so many mixed feelings in the last hour or so that her mind was now spinning out of control. As was her life. And now, Jude wasn't sure how to get it all back together.

A few hours later, Mike arrived home to find Jude dabbing ice on her now bruised eye. "Hey." He said. "Make sure you've got enough make-up tomorrow. We're going out for dinner. Cover it up so we can show people how in love we are." He said, his voice emotionless.

Jude laid in bed that night, unable to sleep, not only because off the throbbing of her right eye, but because she had a million and one things on her mind. To most, Jude and Mike looked like the perfect couple. Happy and in love. But she, and only she, knew much, much better than that.